Scott Derrickson to direct new adaptation of The Night of the Hunter

Scott Derrickson is set to direct a new adaptation of Davis Grubb’s classic 1953 crime novel, The Night of the Hunter.

The Night of the Hunter tells the twisted story of Harry Powell, a serial killer who poses as a preacher and marries a widow in order to get his hands on her deceased husband’s hidden fortune. Unfortunately, Powell’s new stepchildren, John and Pearl, grow suspicious and quickly become his targets. The novel was previously adapted in 1955 with Robert Mitchum starring as Powell and delivering one of his very best performances. Although the film is now considered to be one of the best of all time (and one of my personal favourites), it received negative reviews upon its release. Acclaimed actor Charles Laughton made his directorial debut with the film, but he took the failure personally and never directed another movie again.

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Scott Derrickson will co-write the script for The Night of the Hunter with frequent collaborator C. Robert Cargill. Given the esteemed status of the original movie, Derrickson and Cargill have their work cut out for them. However, as they will be going back to the novel, the pair will be able to do things that just weren’t possible in the ’50s. “For those unfamiliar, NIGHT OF THE HUNTER was based on a novel that was *MUCH DARKER* than the 1950s would allow,” Cargill said on X. “Very excited about this project and thrilled we can finally talk about it.“

More to come…

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